Machine for molding pipes



FFICFG ATENT BENJAMIN S. BENSON, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

MACHINE FOR IVIOLDING PIPES.

VSpecification forming part of Letters Patent No. 33,178, dated September 3, 156i.

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN S. BENSON, of the city of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, `have invented a new and Improved Machine for Preparing the Molds for Casting Metallc Pipe 5 and I do hereby declare the following to be a correct description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a front elevation of my apparatus or machine; Fig. 2, a side elevation; Fig. 3, a transverse vertical central section; Fig. 4, a top view or plan and Figs. 5 to 15, inclusive, detail views of separate parts on an enlarged scale.

The same part is marked by the same letter of reference wherever it occurs.

The nature of my invention consists, mainly, in the construction of a pipe-molding machine in which the flask is packed as it is moving downward, and in which the molding-sand is moistened at the point and at the moment of its being packed.

It further consists in various details of iniprovement in construction and arrangement, hereinafter more particularly set forth.

' To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my machine, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation, referring to the accompanying drawings, on which A marks the frame of the machine, which should be something more than double the height of the longest ilaskdesigned to be used. On the inside of the side pieces of this frame are attached guides B, on which the ilask-holdenG G' slides up and down. 'Ihe flask-holder consists of a bottom piece or` bed, G, Fig. 5, and a top piece, G', Fig. 6, connected together by the side rails, g g, Fig. l. In the bed G is a recess for the reception of the molding-chill G, Fig. 11, which receives and supports the lower end of the flask F. Both the top and bottom pieces have mortises d in them, to iit and receive the guides B, on which the flask-hold` er slides. The top piece, G', has a similar recess to that of the bed G, for the reception of the' top of the flask. These recesses are adapted to iiasks and chills of various dimensions by inserting yokes or collars X, Fig. 7, of the necessary size in the recesses. From the top of the piece G' project upward the stops q, whichcome in contact with blocks Q on the under side of the hopper-bed H', (see Fig. 8,) to protect the cog-gearing on the under side of that bedV from injury when `the hopper is resting on top of the flask-holder.

The flask-holder j ust described receives and holds the flask F, which is of the usual construction, except that it has a narrow ledge or flange projecting into the bore at bottom to support the sand when the flask is removed from the moldingchill, as hereinafter more fully explained. The flask is supported at bottom on the molding-chill C, and at top is held in place by the collar X, Fig. 7, which closely ts and embraces it. The tiask-holder, iiask, and hopper are counterpoised by the weights W, which are attached to cords c, which pass over pulleys p on the shafts, and are attached to the top piece, G', 'of the flask-holder. The weights XV will vary with the size of the flask and the quantity of sand employed.

Above theiiaskholder is the hopper H, which moves up and down in the irame, being guided by the guides B, which it receives into the mortises d. (See Fig. 8.) `It is prevented from descending too far by the pins e, resting on the pins a, projecting fromtheside framing. (seen in bottom view in Fig. 8,) which has in it the mortises d, to receive the guides B, and from which also project the pins e, which rest upon pins a when the hopper has descended to the lowest point, and the blocks Q, which cooperate with the pins g on the piece G', to keep the hopper from coming into immediate contact with the iiask-holder, and injuring the cog-gearing placed between them.

Inside ofthe hopper, which is a simple receptacle for the molding-sand, is placed a cone, I, the office of which is to throw the sand out toward the circumference of the hopper, to prevent its running too rapidly into the iiask. Rotating bent fingers J project up into the hopper below the cone I and through the bedpiece H'. wheels K, (see Fig. 8,) gearing into each other and driven by cog-wheel L on the square shaft M. The olice of these fingers is to throw the sand linto the flask in proper and regular quantities during the operation of packing. The wheel L is shown in vertical central sectioniu Fig. 15. It has a cylindrical hollow shaft, Z, which projects up through the Its bottom is a stout bed-piece, H',

They have on their lower ends cogby a band from' any suitable. prime mover.

tallic cylinder, (see Figs. 12 and 13,) equal in bed H and is held in place by a flange, a, at i top. The hollow inthe shaft Zis square in section, so made to receive the square rod or shaft M, up and down which the wheel L slides as the hopper rises and falls. The upper end of shaft M has on it a pulley, N, driven by a band from pulley T on the upper end of the main shaft S. Thus the shaft M rotates the wheel L without interfering with its vertical movements. The shaft S has also on its upper end the fast and loose pulleys .D and E, by means of the former of which it is driven This shaft is hollow to receive the waterpipe p, which descendsto its lower end, and is there jointed. by a water-tight movable joint to the revolving` water-pipe p', which delivers water to the molding-sand in proper quantity to meisten it sufficiently at the moment of packing.

To the lower end ofshaft Sis keyed or otherwise attached the revolving pattern V, with wings or packers w. This consists of a mesize to the pipe proposed to be molded. At its upper end are attached the packers or wings w, which are arranged like screwthreads. The pattern V has let into its sides two or more metallic plates, e, Fig. 12, whichproject very slightly above the general surface of the cylinder. Their object is to prevent the binding of the pattern in the mold. The delivery end ofthe revolving water-pipe p is just in the rear of the lower end of one of the packing-wings w.

Alongside of the frame is placed a pump, P, the piston of which is attached by arm U to the bed H of the hopper. As the hopper rises,the water flows from the reservoir in the direction of the arrows through supply-pipe p into Vthe pump. As the hopper descends, the water is driven up pipe p, and passes down to the delivery end of revolving pipe p', where a continuous and regular supply of water is kept up during the process of pack' ing and stops the moment the operation lof packing ceases.

Near the machine is placed a reel, Il-,which receives the flask F after it is packed,in order to black the mold. It also supports the empty lask when brought from the pit before packing while it is being keyed up and adjusted preparatory to being placed in the holder. Its lower disk, Bis perforated with holes O, in which are set theblacking-chills C', which support the flask during .the operation of blacking the mold. The upper disk, R', of the reel (see Fig. 4) has recesses to receive collars or yokes, which embrace and support the upper ends of the iiasks.

Three chills of different form are employed in the operation of molding. The iirst (rcpresented in vertical section in Fig. 11) is called the molding-chill, and is placed in the iiask-holder to support the ilask while being packed. Its orifice is equal in diameter to the pipe to be mounted, and its inner annular projection is conical. The second chill;

(represented in Fig. 9) is called the blackingchill, and resembles the molding-chill in all respects, except that the conical ring is here truncated or, rather, beveled to expose that portion of the mold to the blaeking which is to'form the bead around the lower end of the pipe. The third chill is called the castingchi11,7 and is shown in Fig. 10. It remains in the pit ands'upports the flask during the operation of casting. It is tapered, as shown, to receive the lower end oi' the core.

The operation of blacking the mold is performed by means of the peculiarly-formed brush represented in Fig. 14, consisting of a conical piston or stock, the base of which is supplied with camels hair instead oi" common bristles. The diameter of the stock at its greatest width is nearly equal to that of the mold to be blacked, and the hair of the brush projects far enough to press gently against the sides of the mold. The brush is supported by a hooked rod projecting upward from the center of the stock. It is lowered through the mold by means of a cord of proper length, and is removed from the bottom of the mold.

The mode of operation is as follows: The brush is passed into the top of the mold and a proper quantity-say a bucketful-o'f blacking of the proper composition is poured in above it. The brush is then by means of the cord lowered through the bore of the mold fast enough to allow the blackingV to apply itself thoroughly to the surface of the mold. The soft camels hair passes over the surface of the sand and applies the blacking to every part of it without in the least breaking down the mold or marring its smoothness. The brush is not drawn up through the mold, but removed from its lower end, and the cord alone drawn up.

Having thus fully described the construction of my machine, the operation of preparing a mold by it is as follows: The iiask, having been properly keyed up, is placed upon the molding-chill in the flask-holder, and directlyunder .the pattern V. by the yoke at top and the chill below. The flask-holder is then raised until the pattern V projects from thelower end ofthe fiask. Revolution is new communicated to the main Shaft S and pattern V, and the sand from the previously-filled hopper is supplied in an even and continuous stream to the interior of the flask. It falls upon the inwardly-proj ecting iiange of the lower end of the flask, and is there packed by the action of the spiral wings or packers projecting from the upper part' of the pattern V. At the same time that the ask begins to be packed it begins to descend by reason of the downward pressure of the spiral wings npon the packed sand. This descending motion ofthe iiask operates the pump and causes a small stream of water to fall upon the sand as it is being packed, and give it the requisite consistence and adhesiveness. The water flows only so long as-tlie fiask is descending;

It is held securely in place l The flask,having descended until it clears the pattern V, is removed to the reel, Where it is placed upon the blacking-chill. Here the molding ofthe head of the pipe is completed by hand, and the blacking of the mold is performed by the improved brush in the manner hereinbefore described. The blacking-chill, as before stated, is so formed as to expose every portion of the interior of the lower end of the mold to the action of the blacking-brush. When the mold is blacked, it is removed to the pit and placed upon the casting-chill. It is here dried by artificial heat and the core inserted, when it is ready to receive the melted metal. The molding-sand when placediuthe hopper is only Very slightly moistened, not sufiiciently so to adhere to the ask or packershaft, nor to pack Well. It therefore requires the addition of water to give it the proper consstenc'e to pack so closely as to withstand the pressure of the melted metal when poured into the mold.

I am not aware that lany molding-machine hitherto used has applied Water to the molding-sand at the moment of its being packeda ieature of great importance and value, and

essential to the successful operation of my apparatus.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim, and desire tod secure by Letters l. The hopper, in combination With the flask-holder, and moving with it in the manner described.

2. In combination with a pipe-molding machine, the reel R, constructed substantially as described, and for the purpose specified.

3. rI he combination of the pump-plunger with the hopper, so that Water will only be discharged while the hopper and flask are descending` together, as set forth.

4. The combination of the cone I and lingers J with the hopper H, substantially in the manner and for the purpose specified.

5. Packing the flask as it is moving down- Ward, as described.

The above specification signed and witnessed 

